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Chiara: Of your Lost World colleagues, whom are you still in contact with? Whom do you miss the most?
Michael: I'm still in contact with Jennifer, Will, and David. I recently got Peter's email and hope to resume contact with him. I also occasionally correspond with someone in the production office who became a good friend during our work together in dubbing. I miss them all about equally. It's a funny situation to be in: like not being invited to the party-of-the-year, but I guess my years and white beard are helping me to be philosophical about it.
Steve: What did you think of your role in the Lost World?
Michael: I really enjoyed my role, all the more so when I became aware that if I was to make this character come alive, I'd have to put far more into him than appeared on the pages of the scripts. This was quite the challenge, and despite the fact that I wasn't seen as much or as often as the other characters, I made sure that every moment counted and had some thought behind it which would be clear to the viewers. In that, I think, I was successful. Summerlee was the person that everyone trusted, and the voice of reason. Also, a father-figure to both Veronica and Marguerite.
Steve: Would you watch the Lost World?
Michael: You mean, if I had had nothing to do with it? I think at first, during the first half hour of the pilot, I'd be annoyed at the total departure from Conan Doyle, but then I'd get sucked in by the characters, who are all unusually interesting for a series of this type. Yes, I think I'd watch it, but I wouldn't cancel any dates to stay home. My VCR would be set to record it each week.
Steve: If I had to pick two favorite scenes involving Summerlee, it would be his stepping in to save Marguerite from the German pilot and his saving her from the T. rex by putting a hole in the radio set. What scenes would you have selected?
Michael: Yes, I do like the saving Marguerite scenes. My favorites though are the opening scene in London in the Pilot where Summerlee makes up his mind to go on the expedition; the scene in "Absolute Power" where Challenger takes Summerlee back to his dying wife's bedside; and the scene in "Salvation" when Summerlee and Challenger are locked in a cell awaiting trial and the two men, facing death, become real friends.
Chiara: Did scripts change much during the shooting of an episode? Did you have any say in changing a script?
Michael: No, they hardly changed at all. Occasionally we'd ask the director if we could make timely changes so the lines would fit "under the tongue" more easily, and usually we were allowed to do so. If there was a problem, it would be referred to Jeff Hayes, but it almost never got to that point. In an early episode I had a really inappropriate line that we couldn't change at the time because nobody had a suggestion as how it could be reworked. But I re-recorded it in post-production after the Head Writer had been consulted in Los Angeles... And no, I won't tell you which line or episode!
Steve: Can you tell us a little about Jeff and the Lost World’s Executive Director?
Michael: Jeff Hayes is the Executive Producer in charge of the entire operation in Australia. His job is to run the production office, hire all the onsite personnel, and, with the assistance of his Producer, Darryl Sheen, hire the directors. Jeff's staff is also responsible for doing the touch-up voice work (ADR: audio dub recording). This has to be done in Australia for the simple reason that the cast is there. His operation also supervises the writing of the music by two composers in Brisbane. Eventually he has to deliver the finished product, video and audio, to the Telescene offices in Montreal for final post-production prior to release. All directors enjoy the same status, Steve. There is no Executive Director. Richard Franklin directed the pilot. He is a feature film producer/director of some note in Australia and internationally, perhaps best known for Psycho 2 with Tony Perkins. His acting credits are Into the Night (1985), Doctor Who: The Five Doctors (1983), Doctor Who (1963). His directing credits are One Way Ticket (1997), Brilliant Lies (1996), Hotel Sorrento (1995), Running Delilah (1994) , F/X 2 (1991), Beauty and the Beast (The Series) (1987), Link (1986), Cloak & Dagger (1984),Psycho II (1983), Road Games (1981), Patrick (1978), Fantasm (1976), True Story of Eskimo Nell (1975), and Loveland (1973). Richard is also an authority on writing lyrics, and has a book in manuscript waiting to be published. He specializes in the lyrics of Stephen Sondheim, who is a personal friend of his. During the shooting of the Lost World pilot we found a common interest in music, and spent a lot of time (sometimes to the exasperation of the assistant director who wanted us to get on with the shooting!) talking about musical comedy.
Steve: As I understand it there were two camera units, a Main Unit consisting of two cameras, the director of photography, and five other directors, and a Second Unit, consisting of one camera and a director. Each episode was shot in seven days, the cast getting every weekend off. The Main Unit was on location for six days. The Second Unit followed, cleaning up any loose ends. This unit might also shoot a scene. Is that right?
Michael: The loose ends were scenes assigned to the Second Unit. The Main Unit’s elaborate setup simply wasn’t needed to shoot them. The Second Unit might also have to finish up something the Main Unit hadn’t completed. The directors had shares of the episodes, depending on their availability. After spending some time with a director on a couple of episodes one quickly learned to work with them in the best and most efficient way.
Steve: The director usually isn't satisfied with the first "take". Four "takes" is the average isn’t it?
Michael: No, probably less than four. Perhaps two if we were lucky. We worked at such speed that we couldn't afford the luxury of many takes.
Chiara: What was it like working with different directors for each episode?
Michael: Difficult at first until we got to know each other, then it was just a question of giving them what they wanted. Sometimes they weren't quite sure, and that's where our experience came in - we didn't hesitate to make suggestions, which were usually accepted.
Chiara: As an accomplished director, didn't you feel at times that you would have directed differently?
Michael: Of course! But good actors, unless they're faced with gross incompetence, which was never the case on the Lost World set, make the magic. Actors and actresses treat every text as if it was Shakespeare, and every director as if he or she was John Ford. Has to be that way.
Chiara: Who is your favorite actor and director?
Michael: Actor - [Sir] Alec Guiness. He could be anybody and did it so unobtrusively that one was unaware that he was acting, unlike Olivier's flashy but impressive bravura. Director - I can't answer that. There are so many wonderful directors around. What pleases me most is when I can get a sense of the mind behind the direction, without having it shoved in my face with all kinds of show-off stuff.
Chiara: You have worked as an actor as well as a director. Do you have a preference?
Michael: Being a director when I'm acting and being an actor when I'm directing!
Chiara: If you were to write three scripts for the series, what would their storylines be?
Michael: I don't know right now. But I know one thing, I'd search the original novella for threads that could be developed into storylines before embarking on pure fantasy. Which is probably why I'll never be asked write one!
Chiara: What were three things you disliked most about shooting The Lost World?
Michael: Early mornings, rainy days when we were up to our ankles in mud, and having to scramble over rough and rocky terrain.
Steve: There were lots of ticks and thirty - seven species of mosquitoes, two of which carried dengue fever. Cast and crew had to be sprayed with insecticide every hour. Isn’t that correct?
Michael: Well, not lots of ticks, but ticks. And their bites can be quite dangerous. So we watched each other to see if ticks had attached themselves to us: the nasty ones are quite small and hard to see. As for the mosquitoes, they were everywhere, especially near any water. The crew looked after themselves. There were always cans of a highly efficient insect repellent around for them. The make-up people were responsible for seeing that the cast were sprayed at regular intervals. Still, we sometimes got bitten, but nothing serious happened …. fortunately.
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